


A Demon Slayer's Job Is Never Simple

by Nezuneotoki



Series: Perryshmirtz Week 2018 [4]
Category: Phineas and Ferb
Genre: Alternate Universe, Blood, Blood and Violence, Happy Ending, Inuyasha Au, Light Angst, M/M, Major Character Injury, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Slash, conflicted perry, demon heinz, demon slayer perry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-18
Updated: 2018-10-18
Packaged: 2019-08-03 22:09:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16334138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nezuneotoki/pseuds/Nezuneotoki
Summary: It was simple, he was a demon slayer and his job was to hunt and kill demons plaguing innocent villagers or at least that's what he'd been trained to do.





	A Demon Slayer's Job Is Never Simple

**Author's Note:**

> Perryshmirtz Week: Day 4 AU

“Here you are sir.” A young maiden clad in a simple pink kimono bowed her head as she offered the man in front of her a single cup of piping hot tea on a small tray.

Perry grunted a thanks and took the cup, lightly blowing to cool it off before taking a careful sip. Brown eyes lit up and a pleasant smile adorned his usual stoic face. The rumors of this inn’s tea being phenomenal had been true. He was suddenly grateful to have traveled to this village on such hearsay. The life of a demon slayer meant traveling across the land in search of places that needed his services and since he was alone, it gave him the flexibility to change routes and make detours like so. He took another more daring sip of the delicious drink as he listened to the chatter behind him. Contrary to what many believed, sometimes there was great value in the words of the lax and drunk. This time was no different as he honed in on a certain group of men who were talking rather loudly.

“Hah! Listen to this guy. I don’t know how much you had to drink but there’s no way a demon is hiding around  _this_ village.”

“But I saw it!” yelled another.

There were quite a few scoffs as they dismissed him. “You didn’t see shit.” The first retorted.

An abrupt slam pierced the room, “I did see it! I was just heading back to the lake when I saw it emerge from the forest. I hid behind an old tree and watched as it changed from a human into a big cat with glowing blue eyes!” Laughter could be heard from behind as the villagers mocked the fearful man.

“Do you really think there’s a demon amongst our village?” a third inquired warily.

“Of course I do! What else changes forms? It’s going to try and blend in to steal our souls in the middle of the night—”

Having all the vital information he needed, Perry sipped the rest of his tea and left. If there really was a demon planning on terrorizing the village, he’d make sure to stop it beforehand. Once out of the inn he gazed out on the horizon and smirked at the pink and orange colored sky. Night would be here soon, and if the demon was some sort of cat then it would be better to hunt it at night. For now, he’d simply sharpen his chain sickle then scope out the area.

After making sure his weapon was in optimal condition he went ahead and surveyed the edge of the forest for any signs of the alleged demon. To his disappointment, there were only patches of disturbed foliage that he couldn’t particularly say came from the demon itself. Almost any human or medium sized animal could’ve been responsible for it, so without any other signs Perry made his way back to the village to change attire.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Adorned in a black skin suit, black boots, various teal sashes that matched his hair, and green armor plates and pads, Perry scanned the quiet village atop of the inn’s roof. Everyone, except a few night merchants, had retired to their homes long ago, leaving him alone in the dark as he kept watch for the supposed demon. A quick glance up at the moon revealed just how long he’d been waiting. Four hours had gone by with no sign of the beast. He sighed tiredly then slapped his face a couple of times to keep alert. It may only be a rumor but if by chance the demon actually existed, he needed to take it out.

Sharp, brown eyes attentively scanned the edge of the forest and widened when they picked up movement in the bushes. The eyes narrowed to slits, zeroing in on the source of the disturbance. Upon catching sight of a large, golden cat Perry smirked. It was bigger than any wild cat he’d ever seen and its glowing blue eyes screamed demon, but what really sealed the beast’s fate was when it started to transform into a human like the man at the inn had claimed. Tying his protective nose and mouth mask on, he gripped his chain sickle and silently hopped off the roof. With proficient stealth he trailed after the demon, observing its every movement from a safe distance. Even though he was trained to dull his scent he learned to keep his distance, knowing from experience that a demon’s nose was very keen, especially if it was powerful.

Hiding from hut to hut he kept his eyes trained on the demon, frowning as it made its way closer towards the village. So far his unsuspecting informant had been right as to the existence of a demon nearby the village. He continued to follow his target, stopping behind a rather large hut and peeking around the corner. The demon was conversing with one of the night merchants about some sort of concoction. While it was distracted, he got a good look at its appearance. A kimono of the purest white covered his arms and chest that vanished into dark gray hakama. Though clothed, its feet were bare with claws protruding from the toes. It had an angular face with messy, spiky brown hair and sharp fangs just barely hidden behind thin lips. The human guise was fairly average and may fool others but Perry knew what truly lay beneath the skin.

 He quickly brought his attention back to the situation at hand. They seemed to be haggling now, with the demon curling its lips in an irritated frown before conceding and giving the merchant what he wanted. This was actually the first time he’d seen a demon possess money who wasn’t impersonating a wealthy lord or noble. Putting that aside he awaited the demon’s next move only to be puzzled when it began trailing back the way it came.

Perry didn’t know what the bottle contained but it couldn’t be good if a demon was desperate to buy it. He waited for it to get ahead of him before following suit, all the while pondering over what the demon had purchased. If he had to guess, it was either some sort of poison or flammable substance. He was aware that cat demons and kin close to them favored fire-based abilities and powers. Maybe this one was too weak for actual powers and had to rely on man-made concoctions instead. Perry effortlessly scaled a tall tree and watched the demon closely. With his close proximity and the fact that the it hadn’t turned around to attack, it was definitely a possibility that it was weak.

He silently hopped from tree branch to tree branch until the demon came into a clearing with a large lake. He frantically whipped his head in the direction of the village and noted that it wasn’t very far from here. He snapped back to the demon with narrowed eyes as it approached the lake, bottle in hand.

So, it planned to poison the village’s water supply. Well not on his watch.

Perry readied his chain sickle then launched into action. While in midair, he swiftly twirled the end of his chain then threw it with practiced aim. It snaked around the demon’s legs multiple times before he gave a forceful tug that sent the demon tumbling to the ground with a surprised gasp. Perry landed perfectly on his target’s abdomen, who wheezed violently from his ramming speed. The bottle had been released from the demon’s clutches upon impact and now lay a couple yards near the bank. He quickly pinned the demon’s free hand beside his head and held the sharp sickle against its neck in warning, daring it to move. You see, Perry thought himself rather fair for a demon slayer, he actually gave his targets a chance to explain themselves before ending their lives.

Brown eyes examined the demon’s guise a little more closely while it overcame the surprise attack. It chose to imitate a male, but he wondered if it was truly male or not. There were demons he’d come across who were the opposite gender to what they disguised themselves as all the time, so there was no telling what the true identity of a demon was until it transformed from its human skin.

The demon groaned then growled when he saw what had ambushed him.

“Oh great, just what I need right now, a demon slayer.” he bared his sharpened teeth for Perry to see. His response was to press the edge of the sharp sickle into the demon’s flesh until a bit of blood trickled out.

The demon chuckled, “Is that supposed to scare me? Well it doesn’t!” he roared, his hair and clothes billowing as its aura seeped out and encased its body. 

Brown eyes widened as the demon’s limbs elongated. He hastily jumped back just as fur replaced flesh. A long, whip like tail sprouted out from the edge of its spine and the rest of the transformation followed through. In all of four seconds stood a large cat towering well over nine feet, snarling and glaring at him with gleaming blue eyes. Additional features included the various brown stripe and circle patterns that decorated the golden fur and a white under coat.

 The feline crouched low to the ground, stalking closer to the demon slayer before jumping at him with blinding speed that would kill an ordinary human. Lucky for Perry, he was trained for such things and effortlessly sidestepped the attack. However, the demon was swift and lunged at him again with its maw agape. He evaded the prodigious mouth of teeth by spinning off to the side. Then he countered with an attack of his own and sent the sickle flying after the demon. It growled in pain as the weapon sliced along its hind leg, blood splattering everywhere. With a quick tug of the chain, the sickle returned to his hand like a boomerang. Behind the demon slayer’s mask was a satisfied smirk. He enjoyed a good fight every now and then.

 He jumped back in time to avoid a deadly swipe from the feline’s huge claws then expertly sent his weapon after the demon again, this time slashing up its front leg. It let out a pained roar before barreling towards the demon slayer with fury. The attack was so fast that he barely dodged it in time with a roll. Keeping his cool, Perry twirled the sickle around to create a rotating blade of destruction and sprinted towards the panting demon with the intent to kill. The large feline regained its breath just as Perry jumped up and instinctively lashed out with a large paw to shred the demon slayer. The weapon, however, was much faster and mangled its paw all along the length of its arm as Perry descended from his aerial assault. His feet only touched the ground for a split second before launching back into the air to butcher more of the demon’s body, though this time, the feline’s tail caught him off guard and slammed him into a sturdy tree. He gasped and coughed violently for a brief moment, keeping his eyes on the demon as it limped over in his direction. Perry slowly reached for his chain sickle but was met with soft grass instead. Tearing his gaze from the demon for just a second, he turned to locate his weapon only to see the it had been flung a good seven feet away from him. He quickly returned his attention to the demon who’d reached him and was now snarling at him with rage.

“Die!” It roared, unaware of the smirk that laid beneath the mask as it dove down, mouth wide open and ready to crunch. But instead of the snap of bones the demon yowled, stumbling back to caress its bleeding tongue.

Perry used the tree behind him as leverage to slide himself up, clutching the blood-soaked sword in hand. In the last seconds of his demise, he had unsheathed his sword and sliced at the feline’s tongue. It was a dangerous and risky move but one he was used to after fighting countless demons. With the demon distracted, he briefly tested his mobility and winced when he bent forward. Shrugging off the pain as much as he could, he ran over to collect his chain sickle before charging at the demon with a weapon in each a hand. If he could just render its limbs useless then he could take it out quicker.

Although the demon was preoccupied it didn’t make things much easier. It was still thrashing about, tail aimlessly whipping at him and large paws staggering about. If he was careless, he’d be crushed by sheer weight or get thrown again by that powerful tail. Perry ran as fast as he could while avoiding the tail then slid under the feline’s belly. With arms stretched out, he sliced at the bends of the demon’s hind legs. The cuts weren’t deep enough to sever, only immobilize. Another pained yowl rang throughout the air as he slid out from underneath and rose to his feet to narrowly avoid a deadly bite aimed for his head. Once he gained enough distance between them, he eyed the feline that was now sitting with its ears pulled back in rage, no doubt due to the fresh wounds he inflicted.

Now for the front legs.

Sheathing his sword, Perry opted for his sickle to finish the job and twirled it around before sending it flying with precision. It curved upward with the familiar squelch of flesh being torn apart and was pulled back to its owner only to be sent out one last time.

The large feline fell with a loud cry and thudded against the earth where it instantaneously shrunk back to its human guise. Perry surveyed the situation warily, silently jogging over away from the head. It now groaned with agony, covering its jaw with the bloodied hand that wasn’t butchered. Brown eyes scanned the area frantically until they landed on the bottle he’d lost sight of during the battle. He picked it up and scowled at it with ire. A black boot placed itself on the demon’s side and with little effort rolled the demon onto its back, and just like before Perry pressed the sickle against its neck albeit with more pressure this time as he shoved the bottle in its line of vision.

The demon tried to speak but it came out as a gurgle, the blood pooling in its mouth from the lacerated tongue. Well, if it wouldn’t give him an explanation, then there was no need for the bottle anymore. With a new resolve he removed the sickle from the bleeding neck and stood back up. He raised his arm high, ready to smash the bottle on a nearby rock. At least then, the water supply wouldn’t be poisoned.

“Wait, stop!”

 Perry halted his arm midway and looked back at the demon. 

He was frantically spitting blood while pleading not to shatter the bottle. “Please don’t, I need it she—I-I thought you demon slayers only killed demons that actually  _did_ something to humans.” 

Perry noted the urgency in his voice and he didn’t miss the stutter or change of subject either. He gazed down at the bottle in hand then marched back over to the demon and shoved it in its face once again, his eyes alight with demand to know what it was for.

When the demon’s eyes shifted to the ground, he took the initiative and pointed at it then at the water and lastly in the village’s direction, hoping the demon understood.

A brown brow furrowed and afterwards shock filled those dark blue eyes. “You… you thought I was going to do something to the village’s water?” it groaned weakly. “They-they put you up to this right?” he muttered, his speech coming back due to rapid healing.

The demon slayer nodded slowly. Technically he took it upon himself to see to it but he wouldn’t be out here if not for the villager’s remarks.

“Should’ve known those bastards wouldn’t understand.” It growled, “Not like they’d know it, but I live in the cave on this lake, so why would I do anything to it?” it retorted.

Perry’s brow creased with confusion before gazing out on the lake and sure enough there was a small cave protruding from the middle. How did he fail to see that beforehand? Slowly, he brought his eyes back to the bottle in his hand and eyed it, pondering over what it contained. Now knowing it wasn’t something to poison the villagers he pointed at it again. He still wanted to know what it was before killing him, after all, it may not be poison but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t plague the village and eat them later. Their safety was still in jeopardy.

After a long silence the demon stared up at him with defeat in his eyes. “You’re going to kill me anyway.” It was more of a statement than a question, meaning the demon had accepted its fate. “I’ll tell you what it was for  _only_ if you promise not to harm her.”

 Perry nodded, bowing his head to show his loyalty to the request. He may kill demons for a living but he was also a slayer of his word and never went back on a promise if it was reasonable, and this ‘her’ seemed to be reasonable. It was probably a captive maiden he’d been planning to feast on.

A bloody hand weakly reached up and touched the bottle. “I’m no stranger to you demon slayers or your powerful poisons—” It paused briefly. “But where your poisons only make me weak and sick for a few weeks…my daughter, she’s so young that the poison made her gravely ill. For the last few weeks I’ve been feeding her fresh meat but it wasn’t enough. The poison is too strong and will surely kill her, but this—” he tapped the bottle with a clawed finger, “will cure her.” He chuckled faintly, “I know I only asked for no harm to come to her, but could you also make sure she drinks it? I may die but I rather she live if I can’t.” He concluded softly, letting his hand fall and closing his eyes as he awaited the inevitable.

Perry stared at the bottle then down at the demon and for the first time felt conflicted for what he was about to do.

He shook his head and once again pressed the sharp blade to the vulnerable neck, his hand all too hesitant to take the demon’s final breath. There was something stopping him and that was everything the demon had said. He also recalled how only one of the villagers had voiced his concern about the demon while everyone else waved him off. The fact that no one else complained or even saw the demon had him wondering about its intentions. Typically, demons who were terrorizing a village liked to make themselves known. It was uncommon for them to conceal their identity for long periods of time unless they were impersonating someone of high status and therefore needed to remain in the village itself, which was clearly not the case here. That either meant this particular demon was a guardian of some sort or simply wanted to be left alone and bore no ill will against humans. Demons like this were rare but they existed and he was starting to think this was one of them, meaning he made a huge mistake.

With a new certainty, the demon slayer withdrew his sickle and looped the chain around the bottle before fastening the weapon to his right hip. Next, he pulled the demon up gently by his white kimono, now stained red from the blood. Too weak to stand it slumped against him. Perry grunted, the demon was taller than him by a good foot and made it rather difficult to maneuver. Eventually though, he was able to hoist the demon onto his back and carry it as he waded into the water. At least the lake wasn’t too deep. The water came up to rest right under his chin. He didn’t know what he’d do if it were deeper. He’d like to think he could’ve handled it but deep down he knew he’d never have been able to get the demon to the cave.

Once in the middle, Perry waded around the entirety of the cave’s outer cover for an entrance but couldn’t find one. That’s when he realized the demon wouldn’t live here with its spawn if anyone could just waltz right in. With a soft groan Perry tightened his hold on the thin arms and inhaled deeply before diving underwater. Brown eyes peeked open and widened in awe. He knew the water was clean but it was amazing how crystal clear his vision was.

As astounding as it was, the demon slayer couldn’t hold his breath forever and resumed his task of locating the hidden entrance. He rounded the other side and was grateful when he saw a hole at the bottom of the rock. With as much care as he could, he wedged through the small opening remaining mindful of the demon resting on his back and the bottle chained to his hip. He didn’t want either of those colliding with the rocks. He then swam up the narrow shaft and resurfaced with a soft gasp. The water was much deeper here due to the formation of the cave, leading Perry to clutch the demon’s arm tightly with one hand and hoist them up with his other. It took a few tries and a lot of strength but after some time he was able to pull them up on the large, slab of rock.

Tired from overexertion, Perry leaned his shoulder against the nearest boulder and rested, inhaling and exhaling repetitively. But he couldn’t seem to get enough oxygen and found himself ripping the restrictive mask off his face to allow easier air flow. That was when heard groaning directly across from him. The demon had come to, though, still weak from major blood loss. Perry watched as the demon tried to muster enough energy to shift into a human-sized feline only to fail and cling to its human form.

This intrigued the demon slayer.

He had read that not all demons revert to their true forms when weak, sometimes it was the other way around. Those particular incidents normally applied to very powerful demons, in which their power is so great while in their true form, that it’s their humanoid guise that actually requires less energy to maintain. He had battled many demons before but never had he encountered this exact example, it was a rarity. Demon slayers could go their whole lives without encountering a demon with such power, but if they happened to come across one, they were normally killed on the spot for even looking at such a beast. But here he was, in its presence and still alive. Then again, how did he even manage to take down a demon that strong by himself? Whole villages of slayers didn’t stand half a chance, yet he somehow managed to bring one down all on his own. Yet if it was really strong then why not attack when he was following in the trees?

It was perplexing. 

“…Vanessa…”

The soft yet broken voice of the demon was enough to snap Perry out of his musings and now focused on the demon who was nudging the girl. With a sudden need to see her, Perry staggered to his feet and made his way over to the pair, kneeling when he was close enough. His brown eyes took in the girl’s appearance. She was young, even by human standards. She easily looked ten, maybe even thirteen. Her skin was pale, paler than a demon’s guise normally was and he’d seen some pale looking demons before. He tentatively reached out to touch her and immediately retracted his hand. The demon hadn’t been lying, she was hot to the touch and it had  _actually_ burned him. Needless to say, demons could withstand much more than the average human, but even demons had their limitations and her time was running out if it had really been like this for weeks. His eyes darted to her face and noted the dark streak across her cheeks and nose. Her breathing was also shallow and ragged, not a good sign.

“This is why I need that bottle.” It explained sullenly. “I’ve been giving it to her for a couple of nights now and it’s been working.” Blue eyes looked to him with urgency. “Please, I need to save her and this could be just the right amount she needs.” it begged, palm open and waiting anxiously for him to relinquish the bottle.

Perry’s hands instantly made for the chain on his hip and without even so much as a glance, unwrapped the bottle. He went to give it to the demon only to retract when he thought of something.

Betrayal etched into the demon’s features. “But you promised!”

Perry held up a finger then uncorked the bottle. He carefully tipped it enough to where it trickled out to form a small puddle in his palm. He examined the supposed antidote and frowned when a sweet smell emanated from it. Antidotes, no matter what kind, never gave off a sweet odor. Trying his luck Perry brought the liquid up close and licked, sampling it. To his horror and relief, it tasted just as sweet as it smelled. He drank the rest of the liquid in his palm and contemplated over the familiarity of the taste when it suddenly hit him, this was a remedy for relaxation.

It probably helped to ease her pain and discomfort, allowing her body to somewhat combat the poison but it wasn’t enough, it would never be enough no matter how many bottles the demon gave her. Relaxation remedies could only do so much before they became ineffective. He knew she needed a real antidote, especially with what little time remained.

And that’s why without a second thought he threw the bottle against the wall, shattering it into hundreds of shards.

“NO! What have you done!” the demon was furious for a moment until sorrow completely overcame him. “My…my little girl…you—you promised you’d save her…” it sniffled loudly, tears spilling down its face relentlessly.

Ignoring the outcry for the time being, his eyes darted around the spacious cave for something he could use, relieved when he found a mortar and pestle.

Perfect. He was hoping the demon used  _some_ human tools.

He quickly snatched it up and rummaged around his shoulder and elbow pads. Many of his fellow slayers mocked him for filling them with antidote ingredients along with the usual accessories, claiming that there was no need when their job was to kill demons not heal them. But what they failed to realize is that not all demons are the same and when presented with a situation like this... he knew it was the right thing to do. He rapidly ground them up into a fine paste then headed over to the water and filled the mortar with as much as it could hold. He then gently stirred the paste in with the water until it was fully incorporated. Now all he needed to do was boil it and the antidote would be complete. But as he looked around for any wood or pit, he noticed there was nothing of the sort. Perry frowned, the cave wasn’t exactly insulated for warmth. In fact, it was quite chilly in here, so how did they keep warm? Demons weren’t typically affected by weather, but young ones were almost as vulnerable as an adult human.

The demon slayer would require help so he hastily made his way back to the demon and tapped it on the shoulder. His response was a sob followed by the demon peering up at him with absolute hopelessness.

“W-What do you want now?” it muttered coldly. Perry shrugged off the icy stare and offered the antidote as an explanation. The demon stared at it with confusion. “What is this? What did you make?” When there was no answer the demon growled and sniffed at it, grimacing as the smell assaulted its sensitive nose. “Smells like that stuff you humans use to treat injuries.”

Perry nodded enthusiastically, hoping the demon would connect the dots.

The demon stared at the concoction some more before its blue eyes lit up slightly. “It’s… it’s a remedy isn’t it?” Perry nodded again but the demon growled, “Why? The stuff I bought was working fine.” it argued. That’s when the demon slayer shook his head then pointed at his concoction while giving a thumbs up. “You’re saying the stuff I bought wasn’t good enough?” Once again, Perry nodded. “But this is?” the demon asked warily, a relieved smile forming when he continued to nod. “Well what are you waiting for?! Give it to her!” the dire urgency in its voice made Perry flinch with guilt for what he was about to do.

He frowned deeply, wracking his brain for a way to let the demon know that it wasn’t quite finished yet. Trying his best, he set the mortar down then made sure he had the demon’s attention before making a circle with his hand. He then pointed down at the antidote and opened his circle, giving the impression of an incomplete circle. 

“It’s not finished.” The demon lamented. “What do you need?” Determination now lined its voice. “Whatever it is I’ll get it. Anything to save my little Vanessa.” Perry then pointed at the girl, Vanessa, and made the motion to touch her skin. The demon seemed to understand almost immediately. “You need heat? That might be tricky. Vanessa is the one who can control fire. I… I don’t have any elemental powers, I can only grow and shrink my form. B-But maybe I can get her to use them subconsciously.”

The demon leaned over the girl and purred loudly, so loud that it had actually had an effect on her and without warning, steam seeped out from her skin. Perry was afraid that she might burn the black kimono she wore or melt her skin but the look the demon sent him said that this was his chance. With haste, the demon slayer grabbed the mortar and let it rest on her stomach, amazed when the concoction began to bubble and boil.

It was actually working.

With the heat from Vanessa’s body boiling the antidote hotter and faster than any normal fire, it took only five minutes for it to fully liquefy. Once Perry removed the mortar, the demon’s purring ceased as did Vanessa’s heating ability. The demon then peered into the mortar and gaped at how much remained.

“Are you sure that’s going to be enough?” he asked, worry evident in his voice.

Perry found it endearing that this particular demon cared so much for its spawn. Which is why he gave it a tender smile as he nodded, assuring that the amount would be more than enough to cure her.

His hand slipped under Vanessa’s head and lifted, cradling her skull with utmost care as he tipped the mortar to her parted lips. A small amount dribbled out the corners of her mouth but otherwise she drank the antidote without complication. Perry was actually glad that she was so out of it, because he was aware how awful it tasted. Had she been conscious she more than likely would’ve spit it out. The demon slayer returned her head to the bedding of dried grass and kept an eye on her. He’d done what he could, now all they could do was wait.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

There was no telling how long Perry and the demon kept watch of Vanessa but apparently it was long enough for the remedy to digest. And although it would take a while for the antidote to completely rid her body of the poison, Vanessa was already starting to show signs of improvement. Color had returned to her skin and while there was still a hint of paleness, she no longer resembled icy snow. Her once ragged breathing was now deep and peaceful. With caution, the demon slayer pressed two fingers against her arm and smiled when it didn’t burn him. She remained incredibly warm by human standards but that more than likely had something to do with her fire abilities.

Even the demon beside him seemed to be more at ease as Vanessa progressively became livelier. Still unable to transform the demon lay beside her, under the human guise, and nuzzled the top of her head, purring while curling a protective arm around her middle.

Perry watched on with awe and curiosity.

Affection among demons was rare in itself so he was instantly drawn to the atypical behavior. He could literally count on one hand how many times he’d seen demons actually care about someone else and all of those instances included half demons, not full ones. This marked the first time the demon slayer had ever seen such devotion and love between full blooded demons and it only amplified the guilt eating at him.

A soft gasp snapped Perry out of his inner thoughts and was now staring at frightened, blue eyes. Only… they weren’t from the demon he fought earlier. These were bigger and full of emotion as they morphed into a hard glare. Trained for a fight, Perry’s hands instinctively hovered over his weapon in case she lashed out. Based on the fact the she knew what demon slayers looked like, it was safe to say she was furious about having one in their home that reeked of her parent’s blood.

She wrestled out of the arm holding her and sat up, hissing in a threatening manner as she moved in front of her parent. “Leave demon slayer, or your blood will decorate our walls!” she growled out.

Although she put up a frightening front it didn’t faze him. Right now, if anything, he felt ashamed of his combat instincts. In addition to being traumatized she had also been poisoned by demon slayers and had thus anticipated such a reaction. With that in mind he did not move, merely observed her body language for any indication of an attack.

Time stood briefly with neither moving to strike, and in that instance all the anger and hatred flooding Vanessa’s veins seemed to morph into fear. “Please… just leave us alone.” Her blue eyes glistened as they held back the tears that desperately wanted to fall. “What did I or my father ever do to you besides exist?!” she shouted, tears spilling over like rivers down her face and onto the cave floor.

Perry felt a twinge of pain in his chest, the shame and guilt ever growing and beginning to fester as he reflected on what he almost did only a few hours ago. It was maddening and made him revisit many demons he’d killed, extensively going over the events in his head a few times over just to verify that those demons had been mindless and evil. He felt a tad bit better when he realized this was the only situation he’d ever been a part of that was complicated and put him in the wrong. Though he wondered, how many of these situations had his fellow slayers taken part in without feeling remorse? He doubted they felt such emotion but one thing was certain, he was not a typical demon slayer and would show these two that he wasn’t as cruel.

No longer thinking of his own life he lowered his hand from the sickle. It had the desired effect, confusing the girl enough for her to eye him as he crept closer, though, he must have edged too close for comfort when she suddenly growled at him with ferocity.

“Vanessa no.” the demon, that Vanessa confirmed was truly male, grabbed her hand and held it tightly in his. “Don’t hurt him.” He pleaded softly.

Vanessa was furious. “But he’s a demon slayer! He was probably among the ones that attacked us in the first place.” she snarled.

“No, he isn’t like the others. A demon slayer he is, but he also made a promise and kept it. He let me see you again, and then he cured you… he kept his end of the deal and for that I owe him my life, so please—” he encompassed both her hands in his. “Promise me, even if you kill every other demon slayer in existence, that you’ll let him live.”

They gazed into each other’s eyes for what seemed like hours until she mumbled, “Okay...”

“Atta girl.” He praised before lying down in his own growing pool of blood.

Vanessa whipped around with more tears filling up her blue eyes, making them shine. “Please demon slayer… don’t take him from me.” She whispered, balling her fists. Blood flowed from her sharp claws digging into her palms, giving him an idea of just how much she was holding back her emotions.

His eyes shifted to the demon beside her instead and noticed he was staring back at him with a blank expression. Perry rose to his feet and sauntered over, not once breaking eye contact with him. Once he was standing over the demon, he slowly pulled out his chain sickle and kneeled to where the blade rested against the thin neck. Brown eyes held dull blue ones until they closed with resignation.

So he  _was_ going to honor his part of the deal. Well then, that settled it.

Mind made up, Perry abruptly removed the blade and made his way over to the water’s edge. Then, without even a moment’s hesitation, tossed his beloved weapon and sword in, both sinking to the bottom of the watery shaft. He could easily retrieve them once he left, but for now he needed the demons to understand his intentions with clarity. He couldn’t fully convince them, especially Vanessa, unless he too was vulnerable.

Perry turned back to see both demons staring at him, bewildered he’d do such a thing. Then he noticed how tired and pale the male demon appeared and was instantly at his side. He frantically searched for anything he could use to bandage him up only to find nothing.

“Just use my robe, its stained anyway so no use keeping it.” The demon assured, already shrugging off the garment. 

Perry nodded, taking it and tearing strips of various sizes.

It was quiet, both demons watched intently as he patched the male up. He didn’t even bother with making an ointment, knowing very well the demon would make a full recovery if the bleeding was subdued. He knotted the final piece of fabric and ran his eyes over every covered injury. Blood was still seeping into the cloth but it was doing so at a much slower rate than before. He paid special attention to the demon’s now bare legs. The hakama had been shoved up during the process as they hid the wounds that had been inflicted to the backs of his ankles. Out of all the cuts the demon sustained, those were the two that bothered Perry the most aside from the mangled arm. An attack right there was fatal to humans, and though it didn’t kill him it had rendered him useless. Perhaps it would only be a matter of time before they healed and allowed the demon use of his feet once again. He didn’t know, it all depended on the type of demon, how strong they were, and how efficient their healing was.

“So, you really saved my life?”

Perry turned to see Vanessa scowling at the ground, obviously conflicted on how to feel at the moment. But of course, the demon slayer said nothing. Instead he handed her the mortar that was used to make the antidote. She tentatively took it and sniffed at it several times.

“A remedy.” She gazed up at the demon slayer with new emotions, disbelief mixed with something else, hope maybe?

He gave her a nod then moved to stand. “Wait.” her hand shot out to grab his. Brown eyes became fixated on her again as she steeled herself for what she was about to say. “My dad… he’s going to need fresh meat from losing so much blood and I know what helps the most.” 

It only took a few seconds for Perry to figure out what she meant and when he did, he patted her hand, a sincere smile adorning his face. 

It was hesitant, but she allowed a slight smile to grace her lips for a split second before leaning over her father. “I won’t be long.” She whispered before heading over to the water and jumping in with the eagerness you’d see in a child.

Perry smirked, she could’ve easily told him what to bring back but she’d been ill for weeks and was no doubt itching to move around now that she was feeling better. Of course, he would head her request and keep an eye on her father until she returned. Perry turned to the demon and simply guarded him as he rested.

“I guess I should thank you.” he muttered, “You helped Vanessa… and then you spared my life.” He then groaned, holding his head. Perry gave him a concerned look that the demon waved off. “It’s nothing, just a headache.” He tried to assure only for another moan to slip from his throat. 

Perry frowned as he shuffled closer to the demon’s head. His hands gently lifted and placed it in his lap. 

Shocked, blue eyes locked with brown when the demon let out a chuckle, “Well I admit this does feel a lot better.”

They remained like that for some time, the demon’s head resting in Perry’s lap, neither saying a word and merely waiting for Vanessa’s safe return. That is, until the demon slayer became drowsy and had to resort to rocking back and forth in order to stay awake. He felt the demon shift his head around for a bit but didn’t think much of it. He was too exhausted from their fight to remain alert to every stir.

“You can leave whenever you like you know.” The demon uttered softly. Brown eyes peeked out from tired lids, peering down at him. The demon’s eyes were closed, exhausted even more so than Perry as he talked, “Contrary to Vanessa’s worries I’ll be fine with a couple days' worth of rest.”

 Perry considered this. Then he remembered how Vanessa sounded when she asked him to keep an eye on her father. It was almost as if she could trust him and he wasn’t going to break it. He would show her that he was indeed trustworthy even for a demon slayer. Those blue eyes were now open and staring at him, waiting for an answer. Tiredly, Perry shook his head to convey that he’d be staying.

“Heh, stubborn—” he chuckled, “but so am I. You humans need sleep. Even you tough demon slayers have to sleep in order to function properly, where as I can go days without requiring sleep.” he declared.

 Perry shrugged, he would nap later when he left. It wasn’t like he had to be somewhere, so he could afford to sleep well into the afternoon if need be. For now, he leaned back against the cave wall when a sharp pain shot up his spine, eliciting a pained grunt from his throat. He’d forgotten all about his hurt back and now it was throbbing mercilessly. It was nothing he wasn’t used to, but at least if he remembered then he could’ve been more careful with it.

“I got you pretty good, didn’t I?” the demon grinned, quite pleased with himself. Perry merely grunted, tapping the demon’s injured arm none-to-gently. “Ah! Okay, fair enough.” He tacked on.

The rest of the night dragged on with them resting in silence until the demon decided to speak. It was peaceful in a sense, something he didn’t think could happen given the circumstances. Currently they were both in a period of silence, leaving Perry alone to fight against the alluring call of slumber. This was normally when he silently pleaded for the demon to say something, anything to keep him up. He didn’t exactly want to fall asleep before Vanessa returned, it would defeat the purpose of even staying to begin with.

“Perhaps the villagers will feel more at ease when you return with my blood on your sword. Maybe we can live peacefully a while longer, because I’ve grown quite attached to this place and I don’t want to move anytime soon. Food is plentiful, the water’s clean, and the shelter is more than adequate. What’s even better is how well the forest hides us.” He rambled, but Perry listened to every word, intent on heeding the demon’s words and showing his sword to the head Priest or Priestess of the village. Good thing his sword was sheathed when he chunked it in the water. His eyes roamed over the tattered ruins of the demon’s kimono and decided he’d take some of the scraps as well, preferably the ones soaked with blood for further proof.

Suddenly, the sound of water being sloshed around alerted the demon slayer, snapping his head up to see Vanessa heaving up a basket filled to the brim with what he could assume was fish. “I decided to mix it up a bit.” She set the basket down haphazardly, its contents spilling all over the floor. Perry leaned forward to get a better look to see a mixed variety of fish and freshly killed rabbits.

The demon beamed, pointy teeth peeking out from his lips as he moved to sit up. “Oh, Vanessa sweetie thank you.” he picked up a fish and bit into it with a pleased hum.

Perry cringed at the fact that it was still twitching and raw but brushed his nausea aside as he moved to leave when he was abruptly stopped by a small hand grabbing his wrist again. He peered over to see Vanessa, the scowl ever present on her face as she diverted her gaze from him. 

“Thank you…” she whispered before releasing his arm in favor of eating with her father.

He smiled slightly then picked up a sizable strip of clothing stained with blood. He folded it up then tucked it in his suit before dropping into the water.

Without the added weight of the demon on his back the swim was much easier, taking little time to reach the bottom where his weapons still lay. Quickly snatching them up, he swam out and resurfaced a couple of seconds later. He lazily made his way to the bank and once he was back on dry land, he unsheathed his sword, thrilled to find blood still coating the metal. Sheathing it once again, he hooked his chain sickle to his hip and headed back to the village, the remnants of the demon’s clothing kept safe within his suit. Coming to the edge of the forest, Perry stared up at the once night sky to find that it was beginning to lighten. Dawn wouldn't come for another hour or so, which meant he still had some time before even the early risers awoke. He'd be able get  _some_ sleep in before dealing with the village.

There was a moment during his trek where he glanced back at the forest. Knowing that these demons weren’t out for human blood made him worry about the villagers catching his lie but the more he thought about it the less concerned he grew. With Vanessa cured, there was no reason for the demon to venture near the village again.

Perhaps he would check in on them every once in a while, when he was near this area again.

**Author's Note:**

> Totally went all out on this one. I'll definitely give this one and the angst one a sequel later on.


End file.
